Improvement in pipe-wrenches



UNITED STATES PATENT O :FIOE.

m s. MOULTON, or CHELSEA, nassiicnusnrrs.

IM PRQVEMENT IN PlPE-WRENCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 136,089, dated Frbrnary18,1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERI S. MoUL'roN, of Chelsea, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pipe-Tongs; and that directly upon the movable jaw orupon it through the block to which it is hung, and thereby, through theturning of the screw rod in one direction, to force the movable jawtoward the stationary jaw, or, through the turning of the screw-rod inthe other dircc tion, draw or allow the movable jaw to be brought awayfrom the stationary jaw, according as the size of the pipe on which thepipetongs are used is larger or smaller.

In the accompanying plate of drawing my improvements in pipe-tongs areillustrated,

Figure 1 being a side View; Fig. 2, a plan view; Figs. 3 and 4,detailviews of the block to which movable jaw is hung; Fig. 5, sectionin plane of line arm, Fig. 1.

A and B in the drawing represent, respect ively, the stationary andmovable jaws of a pipe-tongs. The stationary jaw A, along the portion 0of its handle-arm D, is provided.

with a slot, E, which is across the width of the handle in a planeparallel'to the two sides or faces limiting the width of the jaw A. Themovable jaw B, by a semicircular ear-piece,

' a, projecting from one side or edge of its handie-arm F, is hung toand upon a pivot or center, I), of a semicircular ear-piece, f, to ablock, G. The thicknesses of the block G correspond, or nearly so, tothe width of the slot E in stationary jaw, and this block G, togetherwith the jaw hung to it, is placed in the slot E, and then the blockthere confined, so far as escaping from the sides of the slot, by itsprojecting flanges g and it. One, 9, of these" flanges g h is upon oneside and the other, h, upon the other side of the jaw A, and the oneflange, g, is part and parcel of the block, and the other, h, formed bya plate se cured. to the block by means of a screw, m,

screwing into the block. These flanges g and it hold the block G withinthe slot E of stationary jaw G and prevent its-escape, and as themovable jaw is hung to the block, as described, it is also held securefrom escape.

L, a thumb-screw. This thumb-screw is arranged to screw into and out ofthe handle D to stationary jaw A at the end M of the slot E therein,traveling in a line corresponding to the length of the slot.

By turning the thumb-screw L in the one direction, the block G, to whichthe movable jaw is hung, is forced along the slot in a direction towardthe fixed or stationaryjaw A, and turning the screw L in the oppositedirection it is relieved from the movable jaw, allowing the same to bemoved backer away from the stationary jaw. The thumb-screw acts upon andthrough the block G to which movable jaw is hung.

Y Under the arrangement of the movable jaw hereindescribed, it isobvious that when the pipe-tongs are in use there is no strain on thevthumb-screw to wrench or twist it, as this wrenching or twisting actionis all taken up by the slide-block G, the importance and advaatage ofwhich are obvious.

In lieu of arranging the block G for, the screw L to act through it uponthe movable jaw, the screw may act directly on the movable jaw, thehinge and block in such a case occupying the reverse of the positionparticularl y shown and described; but it is preferable for the screw toact through the block upon the jaw B.

I am aware thatpipe-tongs have been made heretofore for one jaw to beadjusted as re gards the other by the combination of a slot andthumb-screw, and therefore I do not claim, broadly, any such combinationof parts; but

What I do claim is-= The jawB pivoted to the block G, and each arrangedand moving together in the slot E of the stationary jaw and adjusted bythe screw L, substantiallyas set forth.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 21st day ofJune, A. D. 1872.

\Vitnesses: E. S. MOULTON.

EDWIN W. BROWN, J. P. MGELROY.

